Senior Benefits Specialist – Central and Eastern Europe Region in Istanbul, Turkey

Are you passionate about delivering an exceptional portfolio of benefits programs and services across Central and Eastern Europe?

We are looking for a Senior Regional Benefits Specialist to drive benefits programs that reinforce our culture and values by balancing global consistency with local needs and ensuring privacy, equity, security, confidentiality, and regulatory adherence.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities: Program Design & Adaptation

• Identifies benefits issues, process breakdowns, and design issues, and builds out in-depth benefits proposal leveraging knowledge of the market, competitors, and opportunities.

• Gathers data to support benefit plan changes.

• Creates materials to explain proposed changes associated with benefits programs.

• Interprets business needs, compliance requirements, new or emerging legislation, and industry trends. Uses these insights and works with internal and external partners to improve design of programs.

• Operationalizes complex legal guidance and analyzes competitive market data for a benefits program.

Program Implementation

• Implements benefit programs (e.g., wellness programs, healthcare, family benefits) within a particular geographic area by developing and implementing readiness materials.

• Serves as a subject matter expert for internal teams (e.g., IT, Legal, Tax, Communications, HR Services) using up-to-date expertise to integrate plans and materials before and during the benefits program implementation, and for ongoing management.

• Works with stakeholders to remove barriers to program management.

• Executes integration and compliance with internal teams’ programs and other systems (e.g., compensation, payroll).

• Interacts with internal and external stakeholders to forecast and mitigate legal and regulatory implications of benefits change and readiness plans.

• Manages the implementation of a benefits program (e.g., wellness programs, healthcare, family benefits, etc.) within a particular geographic area by reviewing, providing input on, and approving implementation and readiness materials.

Program Management

• Creates and delivers benefits presentations to internal audiences as applicable for employee-facing roles, or as requested.

• Manages compliance of benefits programs by incorporating Microsoft philosophy, policies, and procedures, as well as regulatory, governmental, and other external compliance considerations into the development and implementation of business plans.

• Reviews internal policies to ensure ongoing compliance with changing legal requirements.

• Monitors various regulatory environments related to employee benefits for changes to legal requirements, identifies and escalates emerging risks, and supports the deployment of mitigation and resolution paths in collaboration with internal stakeholders (e.g., Legal, Tax, Compensation)

• Reviews, updates, and monitors resources (e.g., web content, toolkits) to maintain compliance.

• Regularly evaluates business and employee-specific needs using various forms of data and adjusts program operations to meet needs.

• Consults and partners with stakeholders as a subject matter expert to resolve technical issues and make recommendations on improving processes.

• Recommends short- and long-term benefits solutions (e.g., policy adjustments, program corrections, leveraging of existing solutions) to meet business need.

• Handles complex escalations (e.g., Tier III). Supports complex, high-risk projects.

• Runs benefits programs, including annual processes and collateral resources, and ensures that the program supports the stakeholders by monitoring progress and results.

• Identifies need for resources amid competing demands, market trends, and organizational changes, by partnering with suppliers and stakeholders.

Supplier Selection & Management

• Recommends guidelines and standards for supplier performance, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Maintains or improves vendor performance by monitoring and identifying performance issues.

• Executes solutions to performance issues.

• Leads supplier evaluation, requests for proposals, selection, and on-boarding for their areas by executing screening processes involving interviews, annual reviews, and contracting in partnership with other groups (e.g., Procurement, Corporate Functions Engineering, Supplier Security, Privacy Assurance).

• Establishes supplier relationships and negotiates competitive service contracts (for new and current suppliers) to define performance targets and deliverables.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND experience in HR or benefits OR Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND experience in HR or benefits OR equivalent experience.

• Experience managing Benefit programs or Benefits delivery programs at a regional level

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Proven experience in identifying opportunities, devising strategies, and executing sourcing and negotiation of complex engagements and contracts.

• Proven capability to successfully handle multiple internal partner and supplier relationships.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .